Not an ordinary family
by Joanna Hennet
Summary: Alternative version of Fringe with 2 new main characters: Lily Bishop, fourth member of the Bishop family and FBI agent, and Kyle Hawking, also an FBI agent with previous history involving Peter.
1. Family meeting

**Disclaim: I do not own any of the original Fringe characters, plots or surroundings. I only own Kyle Hawking and Lily Bishop (and all the non-Fringe characters associated with them)**

* * *

**This chapter starts in the middle of the pilot episode**

* * *

-What?! Are you completely out of your mind?!

-Please, Lily. We need your help. I need it. Your father may be the only way to solve this.

-Let's get things straight, Olivia. I have no wishes to see my father again, you don't have the authority to make go to St. Claire's and I know you well enough to assure that you're not going to ask whoever's in charge of this mess to force me to go.

-So what's your suggestion? We need an immediate family member to be able to visit him.

Olivia Dunham crossed her arms in front of her chest as she spoke. She knew that arguing with Lily Bishop was completely impossible. Once she had made up her mind, there was no point in trying to convince her of anything different.

-You can try to find my brother. He will probably be more easily convinced to do this.

-Fine, - agreed Olivia reluctantly –But I'm going to request you and Hawking to be put on this case too.

Lily frowned as Olivia started to move away.

-What are you trying to do? Getting my family back together or solving this case?

Olivia turned back and smiled slightly.

-What is your problem with your family, anyway? In all the time we've met each other I've never heard you mention them, not even once, and, in fact, I had no idea you had a brother until this whole mess showed up.

-OK, first, you're avoiding the question, and second, the problems I may have with my father and my brother are none of your business. - Lily said, her voice showing how annoyed she was.

-Fine, have it your way. - Olivia seemed resigned. – I'll check on you to confirm if I got you on this one.

Lily watched Olivia walk away through the hallway of the FBI building, wondering if that whole matter would turn out OK. She hadn't seen her family for years, and the last encounter she had had with each of them hadn't been pleasant. She shook her head and walked away too as she took her cell phone out in order to reach her partner. In the meantime, they had work to do.

* * *

-Hey!

Her friend's voice waked Lily out of her awake sleep state and brought her back to her present reality.

-Are you OK? - asked Kyle. – You haven't seemed yourself since the other day, when Olivia asked you to help her go see your father.

Lily looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Kyle Hawking was a relatively young woman, about thirty years or so, but her hair was already completely white, contrasting with her rather tanned skin and her dark blue eyes.

-You think so?

-Yeah, absolutely. I haven't seen you like this since the last time a guy asked you out. - Kyle's tone was obviously mocking.

-Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Kyle.- said Lily ironically -You didn't even know me the last time a guy asked me out.

-Exactly my point.

Kyle immediately started laughing. Annoying Lily was one of her favorite diversions. Both of the women were sitting in a car parked outside Harvard University, following a call from Olivia, who had told them to go there.

-Are we going in or what?

-Damn it, Kyle, can't you stop for a moment? You know very well what my problem is.

Kyle sighed. They had been sitting there for at least twenty minutes because of Lily's reluctance to see her father and brother. She decided to push her a little more, because she wasn't going to stand another second in the car with a Lily so nervous.

-Yes, I know it, and let me tell you, you can very well get over it for the time being. My problems with your father are exactly the same and you also know that my meeting with your brother will be extremely awkward but, look at me! I'm not as nervous as you are. I can stand perfectly well.

Lily frowned. That was exactly the kind of argument she had expected to hear from Kyle.

-Fine. Let's get this over with. The sooner the better. - She said as she opened the car door and stepped out.

-Wish you had said that twenty minutes ago.

Kyle and Lily entered the hall of the university and mixed with the crowd of students as they made their way to basement indicated by Olivia. Even though she had assured to be perfectly well, Lily could sense that Kyle was just as tense and nervous as she was. They reached the door of the lab in no time, and as Kyle put her hand on the handle of the door, Lily took an involuntary step back. Behind that door were the two people she least wanted to see in the whole world. Taking a deep breath, she resigned and followed Kyle inside the room.

The first thing that caught her eye was the incredible amount of lab materials spread all over the room. Everything seemed incredibly messy; they were obviously still installing everything. Behind various piles of boxes and tables was her father, Doctor Walter Bishop, giving directions to the agents that were installing the lab, and looking as sane as ever. Some steps behind was her brother, Peter Bishop, talking with Olivia and looking seriously displeased with something, probably with Walter. Amongst the big confusion that reigned in the lab, Kyle and Lily's entrance stood unnoticed by everyone, except by a young agent who immediately came to greet them.

-Agents Bishop and Hawking, nice to meet you. I'm agent Astrid Farnsworth. – She said as she reached out her hand.

-Nice to meet you too, agent. As it seems you already know us, there's no need for a formal introduction. – Kyle answered as they both shook her hand by turns.

At this exchange Olivia, Peter and Walter noticed the entrance of the two women and looked that way. Lily immediately tensed and tried to look relaxed as she saw that Peter was walking towards them. She took a step to the side and noticed that he seemed to have recognized Kyle, but hadn't taken notice of her. Leaving her friend to deal with her awkward moment, she went straight to Olivia and handed her the folder she had brought with everything she had been able to get clear from the data of the case.

-What's with them? – Asked Olivia pointing towards Peter and Kyle with her head as she took the folder. –Since when do they know each other?

-They used to go out a few years ago. You know, about the time when all the matter with Lyssander happened.

-Oh. That's why they both look so awkward?

-Yeap. That's why.

-So how about you?

-How about me what?

-How are you holding up? I recall you saying that you didn't want to see them.

Lily smiled.

-Well, so far so good. They still haven't noticed me, which is a good thing, it'll save me the awkward talks.

Olivia smiled too. She knew Lily far too well to miss the fact that she still was a little bit happy about the fact that she was meeting her family after a long period of time. She was too sentimental and focused on the people she loved, so it was obvious that the last years of her life hadn't gone by without some concern for her brother and father.

-Immediately after Kyle is finished, I'm getting out of here.

As if attracted by that sentence, Walter suddenly turned over and stared at her. After a few moments he moved closer to her and watched her more carefully.

-I know you.- he said

Lily's smile faded a little bit. She hadn't expected her father not to recognize her. Then again, it had been 17 years since the last time they had seen each other, and even more time since they had had a normal conversation.

-Yeah, you know me, Walter. Just try to remember a little.

Walter stared at her for just a moment more, then a small light of recognition appeared in his eyes.

-Lily?

-Hey, dad.

Walter's face lighted up with a huge smile and he hugged her with strength. Lily hesitated a moment, then hugged him back. She couldn't pretend she hadn't missed him, even after everything that had happened.

* * *

**Character description:**

**Lily Bishop: relatively tall, pale skin, brown hair and dark brown eyes. Really smart, very short temper. Sentimental and caring. Around thirty years old.**

**Kyle Hawking: Shorter than Lily, tanned skin, white hair and blue eyes. Quiet and obseving. Very good memory. Always worried bout others. Around thirty years old.**

* * *

**N.A: If the spelling or the grammar is a bit weird, I apollogize. English is not my usual writting language, so it's not very probable that I'll write very well, but I expect to improve it with practice**.


	2. Problems and more problems

Kyle looked towards the place were Lily was to check if her friend was OK. A smile stretched her lips as she saw that Lily was perfectly calmed now, talking friendly with her father, tough a little bit of awkwardness could be seen in her expression. Peter's voice brought her back to her own awkward situation.

-Who's that girl? The one talking with Walter. - He asked, pointing Lily with his head.

Kyle let out a little laugh.

-You honestly don't recognize her?

Peter shook his head, but the shadow of a doubt appeared in his face. Kyle smiled again and looked Lily's way again. Lily was looking her way too, and their looks encountered through the lab._ Peter didn't recognize you_- mouthed Kyle, creating a smile in Lily's face

_That's not a surprise_- She mouthed back.

Peter noticed the exchange and looked at Kyle with surprise.

-You know her?

-Yeah, and so do you, actually.

-Really?

Kyle nodded.

-Why don't we go there and talk to her? Maybe that'll clear that foggy memory of yours.

Peter laughed at the comment. Now, that was the Kyle he remembered. He followed her over to where Lily, Olivia and Walter were standing, trying to figure out who the hell was that girl and why did she look so familiar. Lily looked their way as they were approaching and unconsciously tensed again. She couldn't help but remembering the last time she had spoken to Peter, and those weren't precisely happy memories. There had been screaming and a lot of accusations flying from both sides. Despite everything, she still tried to relax and receive him calmly, even preparing for some joking session with Kyle. She would certainly go over and over about the fact that Peter hadn't recognized her. As they walked closer, Kyle drew a mischievous smile and flashed it towards Lily on purpose. Lily moaned under her breath; she knew what that smile meant. Far too well. She gave Kyle a warning look she expected would be enough to dissuade her and turned to face Peter. He still hadn't recognized her, but she could almost see his brain working, trying to figure out who she was. An involuntary smile stretched her lips; she remembered that kind of expression, she had seen it so many times during her childhood that she was sure she could have recognized it anywhere.

-Peter Bishop. - She said. –It's been a very long time.

Peter's puzzled expression turned even more confused.

-Sorry, but I really don't recognize you.

Lily's smile got even wider.

-I know. I can see. Seems your foggy memory is still the same.

Peter stared at her, confused by the fact she had used the same expression that Kyle had used only a few minutes before. Lily nearly laughed at his expression, what Kyle would call a "cognitive conflict face". It turned out it was pretty fun to play around with Peter. However, her own expression seemed to awaken Peter's recognition. He looked at her more carefully and tried to determinate where the hell he had seen that face before when it struck him.

-Lily? - He asked, his voice fully showing how surprised he was.

Lily faked a disappointed look and nodded.

-Dude, you guess far too fast for me to have a reasonable amount of fun.-

Kyle's intervention made them both laugh. She was always like that. Throwing a useful joke whenever it was most needed. Lily looked at her with a big smile.

_Nice one._ She mouthed.

Kyle smiled back at her and held her thumb up.

_Any time_. She mouthed back.

Lily turned to Peter and led him to a zone of the lab where the others couldn't hear them. He gave her a questioning look that immediately disappeared as he realized what she probably wanted to talk about. Lily felt the awkwardness of the moment and tried to think how to get it fast out of the way.

-Listen…- she started, a little bit reluctantly and not very sure of how to continue. –I know we haven't seen each other for very long… and that the last time we did, a lot happened.

Peter nodded, unsure about what to answer. Or even if he should answer.

-I just wanted to say… maybe it's best that we leave all that behind. We've both grown a lot since, and I don't think we would talk like that to each other now. I don't think that it would be good for anyone, especially Walter, if we keep acting angry at each other.

-I think you're right. And by the way… I'm really sorry… about what I said, all those years ago.

Lily gave a him a sad smile.

-I'm really sorry too. I don't actually remember everything I said, but... I know it wasn't nice. I know I was really angry, and I shouldn't have said a lot of things I actually ended up saying.

Peter smiled her back and, to her surprise, took a step forward and hugged her. She freezed for a moment, then hugged him back, feeling as the relief overcame every other emotion in both herself and her brother.

-It's good to have you back around, Peter.- she said quietly.

Peter let go of her and gave her a thankfull look.

-Looks like it ended up being a good thing that Olivia convinced me to come back.

They walked back to the others a bit more happy than they were a few minutes ago, only to find Kyle joking with Walter. Lily looked at her then shook her head. Exactly what she would have expected. If there was one person to go along perfectly with her father despite their nearly opposite characters, that was Kyle Hawking. Anyway, it was about time they left. They had other things to do.

-Kyle, we should get going. This isn't the only thing we gotta do.

Kyle looked at her and smiled, then gave her a small nod. Lily turned back to face her brother while she searched her pockets for a pen and a piece of paper. When she finally found what she was looking for, she wrote down a number and handed over the paper to Peter.

-Anything you need, you can give me a call.- she said -Especially if it concerns Walter, OK?

Peter nodded. Both women waved goodbye then left the lab. The moment they got out Kyle looked curiously at Lily while she leaned against one side of the aisle, taking deep breaths and looking a lot more stressed and tired than a few moments before. She had obviously been faking a great part of the cheerfullness she had displayed in the lab.

-That bad, uh?- she asked.

Lily didn't answer. She seemed completely focused on regaining the strength she seemed to have lost in the brief encounter with her father and brother. Kyle let out a resignated sigh and searched through her pockets untill she found a small bottle filled with some transparent liquid. She handed it over to Lily, who took a small drink. She winced and gave Kyle the bottle back, looking considerably better.

-What was _that_?

-Vodka. - answered Kyle innocently.

She expected Lily to complain, but she only shrugged and walked away. Kyle shook her head and followed her towards the exit. How the hell she still had the strength to stand up after how weak she had looked just a few seconds ago was a complete mystery to her.

_Thank God I didn't end up with that over my shoulders,_ she thought.

* * *

A cell phone rang loudly, suddenly breaking with the focused silence that had installed upon Kyle and Lily. They both looked up from their respective folders at same time, silently asking each other whose phone was it. After a few rings, Lily reached out for her cell phone

-Mine.- she said to Kyle.

She looked curiously at the little screen only to find an unkown number written on it. She sighed and answered.

-Lily Bishop.

-Lily, you have to come over here, like right now.- Peter's voice sounded terribly stressed.

-What's going on?

-The people I'm standing with in this lab are completely insane, that's what's going on.

-Could you explain yourself a little bit better, please? From where you are it might sound perfectly understandible but here I'm completely lost.

-Walter is proposing a completely crazy solution to Olivia and she's agreeing. He wants to get her drugged in a tank full of water with a metal probe stuck in the back of her head so she can get inside her partner's head to see the suspect of this entire mess.

-And what do you want me to do?- Lily asked, trying to think of a reasonable excuse her brother could give her to call her like that.

-I need you to come down here and talk Olivia out of this complete madness. You know her, maybe she'll listen to you.

Lily couldn't help letting out an incredulous chuckle.

-Peter, seriously, have you even met the woman? She is the most amazingly and annoyingly stubborn person I know, and I've lived with myself for around thirty years.

She heard him sigh on the other side of the line.

-Then could you just come here and help me make sure Walter doesn't end up killing her with his delusions?

Lily suddenly realized that she had been eating her nails during the whole conversation. She quickly put her hand away from her mouth and sighed too.

-Fine.- she agreed reluctantly -I'll be there with Kyle in a while.

She hung up and threw her phone over the table. Kyle raised her eyebrows and gave her a puzzled look. Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose.

-They need us back at the lab.

-Excuse me but, "us"? If I recall correctly, Peter called _you_, not me, why should I go?

Lily stood up and started to pick up her things, while she left everything she had used in it's original state.

-Because you're evidently curious about what the hell is going on.- she answered, smiling.

* * *

The moment they entered the lab, Lily heard Charlie's voice.

-I know you do, but I'm here to tell you the bad news. It's gonna be another 48 hours 'till we get a court order.

At the exact same moment that Charlie stopped talking, Walter walked behind him and Olivia, adressing to the latter.

-You should probably strip to your underwear.

As he walk past them again he greeted Charlie, leaving him incredibly confused.

-What the hell was that?

-Charlie, we don't have 48 hours, I need you to get to Bell. If Walter fails, Bell could be the only one to save us.

Lily frowned. Olivia sounded a lot more worried and stressed than she usually did, and that was never a good thing. She walked through the lab, echoes of Olivia and Charlie's conversation reaching her from time to time. Once she got to where Peter was standing, she stopped and looked around.

-How's it going over here?- she asked.

-You mean here in Crazyland?

-Yeah.

-Just perfect.- said Peter ironically

-So, what's this all about? I didn't really get it when you tried to explain it on the phone.

-If I got this right, it's about getting Olivia and John in some kind of shared dream state.

-Shared dream?

-Yeah, that's what I said. Anyway, they will get this thing done by stucking some kind of metal probe in the back of her neck, giving her an incredible amount of drugs, which include LSD by the way, and getting her inside that tank.- he finished by pointing a large metal tank situated near their position.

-I think you forgot to mention that she will be practically naked.

Peter smiled.

-Yeah, well, that's the least of our worries right now.

They both waited in silence for Olivia to get ready; Lily was getting nervous by the moment, and when Olivia descended next to the tank, she stepped forward.

-There's no way to convince you against doing this, right?- she asked, while Olivia pulled the dressing gown she was wearing.

Olivia smiled.

-No, but you can still try.

Walter's voice cut their conversation.

-Now, where was I? Could you tilt your head forward, please?

Lily backed off and watched as Peter started to put electrodes on Olivia's body, while still advising her against what she was about to do.

-I still think this is deeply irresponsible and, believe me, I would know.

Walter aproached her with a syringe. Lily gave an involuntary shudder at the sight of it.

-This is an anesthetic. It'll feel normal.

-Yeah, because boot leg smack in the basement is just the picture of normalcy.- replied Peter ironically.

Lily turned and looked at Kyle when Walter stuck the metal structure inside the back of Olivia's neck. She had never felt really comfortable with needles or watching how any kind of thing was introduced inside someone else's body. When she turned back, Walter was opening the metal tank that was already full of water. When he finished, he walked back to Olivia and sat next to her while Peter and Astrid were doing some last arrangements.

-And this, - he said as he took a syringe and got it inside Olivia's arm -will rip open your consciousness.-

When everything was done, Olivia got inside the tank and stretched in the water. Walter stood up before her before closing the tank.

-Listen, in case that you don't come back, I just...- he sighed - need to say before we do this, how much I apreciate what you've done. There's so many things you lose in a place like that. You lose beeing trusted. Strange how important that is once it's gone.

After these words, he and Peter closed the tank.

* * *

Time passed as everyone in the lab was waiting for something to happen. Lily was sitting in a corner, beating nervously her finger against her leg. Kyle was standing next to her, arms crossed, and looking seriously worried. She turned to her friend.

-Could you stop doing that? It makes me nervous.

Lily stopped immediately the beating.

-Sorry. I'm just really nervous too.

Kyle sat next to her and lowered her voice to avoid beeing overheard by any of the others.

-Is it just you, or it's also everyone else? Because if it's too much, you should really get out of here.

-No, it's OK. _Really_.- she added at the sight of Kyle's expression. -I'm just getting used to it again.

To cut the conversation, she stood up and walked towards the others, where Walter seemed to have forgotten that he and Astrid had already been introduced and was having trouble remembering his own last name.

-I'm Walter...

-Bishop. - cut Peter -Walter Bishop.

-Yes, thank you.

-Don't mention it.

Lily smiled and got closer.

-These are her brain rythms. More important than most people know regarding cerebral regional interaction. Critical.- explained Walter.

He walked over to another side of the lab to show another reading to Astrid.

-And these are his. As the drugs take effect, the probes will syncronize the electrical signals from both. That's what the brain is, an electrical router. Should be able to be interpreted by the other.

Peter laughed in disbelief and added something she didn't hear. Lily looked at Kyle and waved her to get her closer. She turned back in time to hear Walter's next phrase.

-And when the rythms are in sync, they should be in the same place, so to speak.

-So what do we do now?- asked Peter.

-Now we wait.

* * *

Some time later, there was a sudden movement in one of the machines monitoring the process.

-What was that?- shouted Peter.

Walter walked to check one of the screens but didn't say anything. Lily and Kyle, who had been sitting away from the others and talking in low voices, walked to the place where all the computers and machines were. As they got there, Olivia suddenly started to speak inside the tank. A few moments later, one of the computers started to beep.

-What's happening?- asked Peter.

-It's fine.- said Walter.

-She's alright?

-She's fine.

-You're sure?

Walter didn't answer, but he had a triumphant smile all over his face. Lily walked away and sat in a chair next to the tank, waiting. But, suddenly, Walter and Peter ran down to the tank and opened it, getting Olivia, who was shaking uncontrollably, out. Lily immediately backed away to a safe distance, dreading to get any closer to Olivia who was obviously going under a severe amount of stress. Kyle walked passed her and tried to help Walter, Peter and Astrid. She heard Olivia screaming that she had seen the suspect and sighed in relief. It had worked.

Lily looked at Kyle as they both put on gas masks. She could see she was as nervous as always in these kind of situations. Kyle looked her back and nodded, while she got her gun out and followed the other agents who were already entering the building. Lily allowed herself a small smile and followed Olivia, who was with another group. Before entering the building, she glanced at the car where Peter and Walter were, making sure they were out of harm's way in case trouble appeared. Once the civilians had been evacuated, they entered. She followed the other agents as they entered the apartment and looked around, searching. Suddenly, she heard a crunch behind her. She turned around and found Olivia kneeling and taking away the carpet, revealing a trapdoor. They all went through the trapdoor, finding a lab full of computers and cages with animals. She was examining some of hte materials inside the lab when suddenly she heard screams from outside.

-Hey! Hey! He's in the alley!

Taking her mask out, she got outside running, spotting the fugitive right away. Looking around, she saw Kyle getting out of the building running and Olivia a few steps ahead, also chasing the man. All three women followed the suspect running, taking the same route. They followed him inside a building and to the roof. Reached one end of the roof, the man jumped to a fire escape, followed closely by Olivia, Lily and Kyle. All three of them jumped from the fire escape to a dustbin situated several meters below. When they managed to get up, they found the man tackled by Peter. Olivia aproached them and put her gun in the man's neck.

-We've got some questions for you.

* * *

Kyle sighed. Olivia had just left the room where she had been questioning Richard Steig and, by the looks of it, she hadn't gotten any results. She saw Lily aproach Olivia and exchange some hurried words with her. She then walked towards the door of the interrogation room, but Kyle stopped her.

-Hey, what's going on?

-Looks like Mr. Steig is extremely lost regarding his cards of action right now. I'm going in there and try to talk to him. And if I don't go, seems like someone else will.- she said, pointing with her head at Peter, who was aproaching the room. -Distract him, will you?

Kyle nodded and hurried towards Peter, while Lily entered the room. As soon as he heard the door, Richard Steig looke up. An ironic smile appeared in his face.

-What is this; good cop, bad cop routine?

Lily gave a short laugh.

-Not really. I'm just here to make you see things from a different perspective.

-And how are you going to make that?

-My colleague tells me that you want immunity.- she said without answering as she sat down.

He just nodded.

-Well, if that's what you want, then let me tell you, you're playing your cards the wrong way.

-What do you mean?

-There's a man dying, as we speak, and the only way to save him is that list of synthetics my colleague asked you. And _that_, is your only bargaining card; which, by the way, is going to disappear if that man dies. So, in the end, you don't have much of a choice if you really want immunity.

Lily finished to speak and got up, walking away. She allowed herself a little smile when she heard Richard Steig take the pen that was in front of him and started to write. She didn't look back as she got out. When she closed the door, she turned towards Olivia, who was back and waiting for her to get out.

-See? He just needed to see things from the right perspective. Now all you have to do is get that list he's writting down.

-Thanks, Lily.- said Olivia with a smile.

-Any time.

Lily walked away, tucking her hand in her pocket to reach her cell phone and wondering if she should call her boyfriend, John Ford, or not.

* * *

-What?!

Lily's scream made Kyle jump.

-Whoa, whoa, slow down Olivia. You're saying that John, John Scott, your _partner_, is a double agent?

-Was, Lily. And yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

They were both standing next to an ambulance, on the spot where just a few moments ago, John Scott's car had crashed after a persecution, causing his death. Olivia still had tear marks all over her face, but her voice was firm.

-Hell. And are you OK?

-I don't know. I think it'll take time for me to process this.

Kyle looked at her with sadness.

-What are you going to do now?- she asked.

Olivia shrugged.

-I'll get back on you for that.

Lily stepped forward and hugged her.

-I'm really sorry, Olivia.

She didn't say anything, just hugged her back. Lily let go of her and took a step back.

-I'm going to Harvard to say goodbye to Walter and Peter. Do you want to come?

-Not sure. Charlie is going to drive me back home.

-Well, I'll see you around.

Olivia nodded while Lily and Kyle walked away. They both got inside Lily's car and drove away, to Harvard.

-So what now?- asked Kyle.

-I don't really know. We just have to see how everything turns out.

They stayed in silence for a moment. Then Lily looked at Kyle with a smile.

-But I have a feeling it will turn out OK.

* * *

Lily smiled as she watched Olivia talk to Peter, after she had talked to her, telling her about the job Broyles had offered her and telling her that she would ask Kyle and her in the job too. She knew her well enough to affirm she was trying to convince Peter to stay so Walter could too. And she knew Peter enough to affirm he had seen enough of the problem they had now in front of them to refuse. She walked to the car, where Kyle was waiting for her.

-So?

-Told you it would turn out OK.- answered Lily as she got inside the car.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lily looked up from the book she was reading, sitting comfortably in an armchair, at the sound of keys and next a door opening. She stood up, closing the book and leaving it in the small table in front of her, and walked to the entry of the apartment. She smiled at the sight of John, loaded with suitcases and looking tired from a long journey by air. She grabbed one of the suitcases.

-So, tough journey?- she asked.

-Not really. I couldn't sleep in the airplane, but no other problems.- he answered as they both left the suitcases in their bedroom and walked to the kitchen. -How about you? Rough day?

Lily smiled as she kissed him.

-You've got no idea.

* * *

**So, posted at last! I really have to apologize for the delay, but I had quite a big number of problems, including lack of inspiration and a really bad Internet connection. Anyway, most of these problems are now solved so I hope I'll get the next chapter up sooner. Thanks for reading the story, it's nice to know there are people who like it, and please review so I can know the things that need improvement. Special thanks to soubi12 and Dalekgirl for trusting this story. And, well, next chapter up as soon as I can.  
**


	3. The things that come back to us

A cell phone rang suddenly, waking Lily. She grunted and reached out for it, checking the screen before answering. The number on it had the name "Olivia Dunham" next to it. Lily grunted again and answered.

-Olivia? Why the hell are you calling me at this hour?

-We've got an asignment. Broyles called and requested that we meet him at the Bromley Medical Center. I'm on my way to get Peter and Walter, and Kyle's already on her way to the hospital. Oh, and by the way no, it can't wait.

-Oh, great.- muttered Lily. -Couldn't Broyles call, I don't know, about three hours later?

She heard Olivia laugh at the other side of the line.

-Apparently not. Why don't you ask him when you see him?

Lily sighed.

-I'll see you in a while.

She hung up and left the cell phone and left it on her bedside table. She felt John stir next to her.

-Who was it?- he asked sleepily.

-Olivia.- answered Lily with a yawn as she got up. -I've gotta go. Work.- she added at the sight of John's inquisitive expresión.

-At this hour?

Lily smiled slightly.

-My thoughts exactly. But, apparently, it can't wait.

She walked towards the bathroom while rubbing the bridge of her nose.

-Are you going to take any breakfast?- asked John without getting up.

Lily's voice came muffled by the sound of running water.

-Yeah, I'll eat a sandwich or something. Just don't worry about it. You should get back to sleep, you've got a job too.

John smiled.

-Good luck on that one.- he muttered.

After a short while, Lily came out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. She left the towel over the bed and started rummaging inside her closet. It didn't take long before she stepped aside holding two danglers, one with a white shirt, the other with black jeans. She put them on swiftly and then put on her shoes. Once she had finished, she took another dangler from her closet, this one with a suit jacket in it, and put the jacket on. John looked at her with a mocking smile on his face.

-If you're going to put that jacket on, you should at least put some pants to go with it.

Lily couldn't help but laugh.

-You know me, John,- she said as she leaned over him. -That's never going to happen.

She kissed him goodbye, took her cell phone and walked to the kitchen to make herself a simple sandwich. After checking her watch, she exited the apartment in a hurry and ran down the stairs towards her car. Twenty minutes had passed since Olivia had called her. If she didn't hurry she'd be the last one to get to the hospital.

* * *

Moments later, Lily was parking in front of the medical center. She got off the car containing a yawn and met the others. She had to hide a smile at the sight of Kyle's appearance; her white hair was tied in a bun, but half of it was sticking out in bizarre angles. She obviously hadn't bothered in undoing her bun or brushing her hair.

-Hey, Kyle. Did you have a fight with your hairbrush this morning?- asked Lily as greeting.

-Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Really neat as a joke.

Lily couldn't help but laugh. She waved to greet Peter, and turned to Olivia.

-Did I miss anything?

-Nope. Broyles is currently trying to get Walter out of the car.

-What did he found now?

-The seat warmers.- Peter intruded in their conversation with an exasperated sigh.

-What's wrong, bro'? Tired of your babysitting duties already?

-Is she always like that at this hour of the morning?- asked Peter to Kyle without answering.

-Don't know.- answered Kyle with a shrug. -The only time I've seen her awake at this hour, she was dead drunk.

Peter looked amazed.

-Are you serious?

-Yeap. Only time I've seen her _that_ drunk. Or drunk at all, now that I think of it.

-You're sure we're talking about Lily? My little sister who never drinks?

Kyle nodded.

-That's the one.

-Well, that's a story I'd like to hear.

-And you wont. At least not now.- answered Lily before Kyle could open her mouth.

-Why not? Is it too embarrassing?

-That's not it. It's just that Broyles managed to get Walter out and I suspect we're about to be given the tour of the weird event of the night.- she said pointing.

As the group entered the hospital, Lily gave Kyle an "I'll deal with you later" look, annoyed because she had brought up the subject of _that_ night -which she had been praying wouldn't surface- and thanking the excuse to avoid the story. Broyles led them throughout the aisles of the hospital, while explaining what had happened.

-Seventeen passed midnight, a woman, pregnant to term, was found alone outside the hospital. She collapsed, suffered severe abdominal 's a Jane Doe.-

He uncovered the body of the woman.

-Prints and DNA are being run now, should have her ID by sundown. At twelve twenty four, less than two minutes after she was pronounced dead, miss Doe became a mother.

-Did the baby survive?- asked Olivia.

Walter had started to examin the body.

-The new born was convulsive, screaming in obvious pain. They placed him in a bassinet, where the process of transfering him to Intensive Care when they realized what was happening. It was growing... before their eyes.

-Growing? You mean they could... see it getting larger?- asked Kyle.

-That's right.

-So where's the baby now?- asked Olivia in turn.

Broyles didn't answer, he just walked away. Olivia and Kyle followed him immediately, while Lily and Peter stood behind, as Walter hadn't realized they were moving.

-Walter!- called Peter.

Walter looked up and Peter waved him towards the door.

-This way.

-He remained alive for nearly half an hour, finally dying from natural causes.- was explaining Broyle when they caught up with the rest of the group.

-Natural causes? I don't understand.- said Olivia.

-What they realized was that the child wasn't just growing. It was aging.

They had reached a body of an old man, who had an umbilical cord still attached.

-OK, hold on a sec'. It's four AM, so I'm a little foggy, but, we're supposed to believe the grandpa here was born four hours ago?- Peter looked highly skeptical.

Lily couldn't help but agree with him. What Broyles was saying sounded completely irrational.

-Where there any calls or tips? Security cameras see how the pregnant woman got here? Did she... drive herself or was she dropped off?- Olivia had gone straight to the practical points.

-We're checking those now. Dr. Bishop, any ideas how something like this might happen?

-I think you're probably expecting a bit much, Mr. Broyles.- Peter, again, was sounding skeptical.

_No surprises there_, thought Lily.

-Celermitosis. Disabling, reversing cell cycle inhibitors. Activating them turning CIP/KIP and the 4A/ARF into catalysts. Ah,- he said, opening one of the man's eye lids. -92% of caucasian new borns have blue eyes.- he lifted his eyes towards Peter. -Yours were green. And so were yours.- he added, adressing to Lily. -To understand what happened here, I'll need to run extensive tests. Get this bodies to a lab. Therefore, of course, I'll need a lab, immediately.

-Dr. you have one. Your old lab at Harvard, we reopened it for you. Do you not remeber that?- Broyles seemed surprised by Walter's memory leaks.

-No. No, but that's fantastic news!

-Alright, lets asume for a second that bundle of joy here is for real, what are _we_ doing here?- asked Peter.

* * *

Back at the lab, Broyles proceeded to explain everything to Olivia, Peter, Kyle and Lily.

-A series of events has occurred, continues to occur. That has us, and other agencies on alert. These events appear to be scientific in nature and suggest a larger strategy of coordinated effort. It's being refered to as "the pattern".

-Mr. Broyles, I consider myself a fairly intelligent guy. But I'm not following you here.

-Unexplicable and frightening things are happening...- started Kyle.

-And there's a connection somehow.- finished Lily.

-Thanks, that much I understand. By the way, how often do you that thing of finishing each other's phrases? 'Cause its kinda creepy.

Kyle opened her mouth to answer, but Olivia beat her to it.

-All the time.

-I've got Henning on the phone.- intruded Astrid, entering the room. -The hospital got a call from a guest on the Scarlet Red Motel, checking to see if the pregnant woman is doing OK.

-Is she staying there?- asked Olivia, standing up.

-Yes, with a caucasian male, twenty's, brown hair, but there's no description of him or the car he was driving.

-Call the motel and make sure they don't touch anything. They souldn't even go in.

-I already called and they're good to go. The motel room is empty and locked.

Olivia stood before Walter, who was examining one of the bodies.

-Dr. Bishop? I may need you to take samples from the motel room. I need you to come with me.

Walter didn't answer, he just went on with what he was doing.

-Walter.

-Do you see what I'm doing here?!- Walter snapped.

-Hey, hey. Relax.- said Peter, pointing him with his finger.

-I can't figure this out with a girl buzzing in my ear. I am trying to put these pieces together, like a puzzle. How this happened, how _he_ happened, to her. I'm working.

-Come on, Olivia. I can do this.- intervened Peter. -My limited stay at MIT did teach me something.

He directed to the exit, followed by Olivia.

-I'm going with you guys.- said Lily. -Do you feel like staying here?- she added towards Kyle.

-No problem, but why, exactly?

-I'm not really comfortable with Walter's state right now, and I'll feel safer if he's with someone I trust.

-Sure.

Lily directed towards the exit too, but stopped right before exiting the lab.

-Kyle?

-Yeap?

-Don't bring it up again, will you?

She didn't wait for an answer and left the lab.

* * *

They entered the room in silence. Lily looked around, feeling a chill run down her back. _It can't be_, she thought, _it just can't_. Olivia picked up an ID from the bedside table.

-Loraine Daisy Alcott.- she said.

-Loraine Daisy. That's just sad.- Peter said as he entered the bathroom.

-One "r".

Lily ignored the brief exchange and walked around the room, in the search for any other clues. She heard Peter's voice coming from the bathroom.

-Hey! I think I actually got something to sample in here.

Olivia aproached the bathroom, while Lily breathed hard, whishing it wouldn't be what she feared it would.

-It's some kind of orange gel.

Neither Olivia nor Lily answered. Olivia just stepped away and aproached the bed.

-Sorry about my father.- said Peter, still in the bathroom. -He always was a little myopic.

-Her things where left behind but not his.- Olivia ignored Peter's intervention.

He just came out of the bathroom with the sample in his hand. Olivia was kneeling beside the bed, looking carefully at the sheets.

-Checking the thread counts?- asked Peter.

-Yes. Open the cabinet.

-Why?- he asked while directing to it.

-There are gonna be sheets in there.- answered Lily before Olivia could.

Peter opened the cabinet, revealing sheets, just like Lily had said.

-OK, how'd you do that?

Olivia exited the room and Peter went behind her. Lily got out too, but she just held on to the railing in front of her.

-Hey! The car's right here.

No answer.

-Olivia! What's going on?

-That's what he would do. He go to the motels ahead a time to replace the sheets with leak proof medical grade linen, so he wouldn't leave any blood evidence.

-Who?

Olivia turned suddenly to face Peter.

-I know who was in that room. The killer, I know his profile, it was a case that John and I worked. Serial killings in New Jersey and New York and, we never caught him.

-Look, you can't beat yourself up because you didn't catch the bastard in your first try.

-I feel like I've been asleep for the last year. Every case that John and I worked together, I have to go back, and try and find whatever I missed.

Lily listened to the conversation in silence. She remembered that case very well. John and Olivia had asked for her and Kyle's help. Even with their combined efforts, it had all turned out in vain. They never caught the guy and the case had just been left like that, unresolved.

-OK, then tell me. How'd the killer do it?

* * *

-Hello?

Kyle looked up from her book at the sound of Peter's voice.

-Over here!- she shouted.

She glanced at Walter and couldn't resist to smile at the sight of him milking Gene. It looked weird, but soothing at the same time. When he was like that, he looked normal.

-What are you doing?

Kyle let out a small chuckle. Peter sounded half annoyed and half incredulous and, after all, she couldn't blame him. A few hours ago, she would have reacted just the same.

-I'm doing two things at once.- was Walter's reply. -I'm waiting for you, and I'm doing her a favor.

-You were supposed to be doing extensive testing. Our eighty year old man-baby, remember that?

-Done. Tests complete.- said Walter as he stood up.

-Seriously, Peter, you're totally underestimating your father.- intervened Kyle, without looking back up.

-Though I suppose I deserve. But, wonderful news all round.

Kyle stood up this time and closed her book. She stretched a little then walked closer to Peter and Walter to hear the results. During the whole time she had been with Walter, he hadn't mentioned the tests not even once.

-The DNA results confirm my suspicions that the woman was impregnated by a man who's the result of experiments, identical to those conducted by me in this very lab, around thirty years ago.

-So you know how this happened?

-No. No idea.

Kyle crossed her arms and leaned over a wall next to her.

-The specifics elude me completely.

-So then what's...- Peter started.

-This wonderful news?- Kyle finished with a mischievous smile.

Peter throwed her an annoyed look, then decided to ignore her. Kyle's smile grew even larger; she totally knew that reaction: it was the same that Lily always had when something annoyed her. Or one of her reactions. The other was generally annoying back.

-Whatever. So what is it?- asked Peter.

-Because I've remembered something else. I remembered where I parked my car.

-Really? You remember where you parked your car, seventeen years ago?

Walter's features composed a "what do you think?" expression.

-OK, I think I'll pass on the upcoming field trip.- said Kyle, sitting back on her chair. -I'll just wait right here for Lily and Olivia.- she added, reopening her book.

Peter glanced at her again, this time with a "do what you want" look, then left the lab with Walter.

* * *

-This is the last of them.- said Astrid entering with a box in her hands, followed by Peter who had another box.

Lily looked up from the pile of papers she was examining.

-Thank God, I thought they'd never end.

-Good. Hello, I'm Dr. Walter Bishop.- said Walter, adessing to Astrid.

-Yes, Dr. Bishop, we've met. I'm Junior Agent Astrid Farnsworth.

-Third time's a charm.- muttered Kyle.

-You know, Walter, we'd probably be a lot more help to you, if you told us what we're looking for.

Lily nodded to herself in agreement with Peter's phrase. The only words she got from Walter's ensuing reply was "my research", and that was a very ample field. She kept rummaging through the papers in front of her, with Walter's voice still sounding as a background noise, and only looked up when she heard Olivia's voice.

-Did you just say pituitary gland?

Walter looked at her, confused.

-Did I?

-Well, that's how he kills.- explained Olivia as she stood up. -He performs surgery on his victims, remove the pituitary gland before he overdose them with anesthesia.

Walter remained still for a split second and then started to take papers out of the boxes.

-Look for anything with the pituitary in it.

-I'm sorry, I don't get it.- interveined Astrid. -I mean, what's the link to what happened in the hospital?

-Advanced, rapid aging, like the disease called progeria, can be induced artificially by manipulating the pituitary gland.- explained Walter. He then added - P... pituitary... p... p...

He seemed to be trying to remember something. Leaving him to it, Peter started to talk.

-All the hormones in the human body that control growth, which is aging, really, are in the brain. And the pituitary gland is the boss.

Lily continued her search, throwing ocasional glances to Walter, who was still talking to himself. Suddenly, Olivia read out a paper she had found.

-Progeria. Case filed by Dr. Penrose?

-Yes, Penrose, Penrose... I remember him. A former colleague of mine. Although he suffered from severe pseudofiliculitis nucae.

-Razor burns.- explained Peter towards Olivia.

-Hell, no. We did experiments on rapid growth. Obviously, someone has made a breakthrough, and Penrose could lead us to that person.

From the computer where she was, Astrid started to read out pieces of the file about Dr. Penrose.

-Dr. Claus Penrose. He moved to the East Coast two years ago... He's a professor in Boston College.

* * *

Lily looked up when she heard Olivia and Peter enter the lab. From the distance she saw Kyle look up too.

-Astrid called.- said Olivia. -She said you have news.

Lily stood up and aproached the table where the recently discovered body was lying, but she stopped at a safe distance. She had seen too many corpses in her life to feel the desire of seeing some more.

-You're right. The pituitary gland has indeed been removed.- Walter walked away from the body as he spoke an took off the glasses he was wearing. -And I may be able to postulate a hypothesis as to why. Years ago, when I worked with the Defense Department, we were tasked with a program designed to cultivate soldiers.

-Cultivate?- asked Olivia.

-Quite literally. Grow them. It was highly theoretical, of course, female eggs would be fertilized in a lab and given a cocktail of growth hormones. If perfected, a baby was born and within three years aged to the equivalent of a twenty one year old male. A soldier in prime condition.

Olivia walked away, looking completely shocked by Walter's words.

-You're telling me you developed a way to cultivate soldiers? People?

Peter looked shocked too.

-Theoretically. The only problem was how to slow the aging process, once the subject had reached the desired physical age. Once started, we couldn't turn the aging off.

-So you think now... what?

-That the killer somehow continued your work?

Lily and Kyle spoke so continuously that it seemed only one of them had spoken.

-Not exactly. But I believe that someone has made a breakthrough, that the killer is the product. A test tube human affected with rapid aging. To slow the process, he must extract the hormones from the pituitary glands of his victims, to treat himself, to stay young.

-And the pregnant woman at the hospital?- asked Olivia.

-She was an accident. And the killer's condition was passed on to the baby.- understood Peter.

-Even condoms are not 100% effective, you should be aware of this. That night he was going to kill her, but first they fornicated. Had intercourse.

Lily hid a smile. She looked at Kyle and saw that she was actually stopping herself from laughing.

-OK, we got it.

Rather than amused, Peter seemed uncomfortable with Walter's words.

-She became pregnant, but the pregnancy became horribly accelerated.

-So someone must have heard her scream.

-He couldn't go through with his plan, he couldn't kill her.

-Which is why he didn't kill this girl in a motel.

-Because he was scared.

Walter and Peter looked at Lily and Kyle with surprise. The two women had spoken in turns, resulting in a confusion. Olivia, who was already used to that kind of things, couldn't help but smile. But that smile faded immediately.

-And if his MO's changed then.. we have nothing.- she said. -We have to go back and start again, from the beginning.

-No it's OK, we're making progress...

Peter tried to reassure her, but Olivia replied aggresively.

-Why don't you tell her, that everything is going to be OK.

She walked away angrily. Kyle stood up from the chair where she had been standing the whole time and walked to Lily's position. From there, they heard Walter's next words.

-I thought you had a way with women.

He was obviously talking to Peter.

* * *

Kyle was reading through the case files when she heard Walter's voice.

-Yes, yes, yes.

She looked up, curious, but didn't say anything.

-Something on you mind?- she heard Lily ask, from the other side of the lab.

-Oh, please. The term on your mind vexes me with it's depictive inacuracy.

-Oh, stop, would you just talk like a person? What are you thinking?

This time it was Peter who had talked, and he was clearly loosing the little patience he had left.

-Jules Verne.

-"20.000 leagues under the sea", Jules Verne?- asked Lily.

-Yes. Although I was refering to his lesser known masterwork, "The Kip Brothers". In which he posited that the last image seen in life, right at the moment of death, is permanently imprinted on the retina of the eye.

-Also a work of fiction. Which is a small, but critical distinction.

Peter again. _And he is annoyed when Lily and I talk in turns_, thought Kyle.

-When was it you lost your imagination, son?

Kyle looked at Peter's exasperated face and smiled as she lowered her sight back to the file in her hand. Oh, she knew that expression.

-Alright, you wanna play? Let's play. The only way that we could see what she saw, even in theory, is that we could recover the eletcrical impulses that were traveling along her optic nerve, which we can't.

-Aha! But we're in luck. This woman was given a muscle relaxant. The drug would have frozen her neural pathways at the moment of death and the last images she saw with it.

-OK, assuming we're actually having this conversation,- started Peter, standing up. -we would still need a... Well, I don't know, but we still need something that could translate what she saw...

-Something that could translate from her eye, to a monitor.- interrupted Walter. -A TV screen.

* * *

Lily and Kyle stood a little behind of the rest of the group, wearing the same white overalls as everyone else, while Walter got everything ready.

-Are we ready? Dear, the lights.

-I can't believe we're actually going to do this.- muttered Kyle.

Lily simply smiled at her as the lights went out.

-Goggles, all of you.- instructed Walter. -Don't look directly into the light.

-And we're really going to be able to see her last image?- asked Astrid.

-Faith! Never a bad thing to have.

The process started. Everyone in the lab was now looking at the screen where, if everything went right, the image they were expecting would appear. After a while, Peter started to get impatient.

-This is taking too long! If he's already picked another victim...

-Your impatient! You always were!- interrupted Walter.

-As if you ever knew me well enough to make a statement like that.

-Your a smart boy, but there's much you don't know.

Lily, who was looking at the screen but still following closely the discussion, made a grimace. It looked too similar to the discussions Walter and Peter had when they were still a fairly normal family. Suddenly, something caught her attention in the screen. An image.

-Did you see that?- exclaimed Olivia.

-What was that?- asked Peter.

-Wait, wait, what was that? Can you focus?

Lily walked closer to the screen. They were all now trying to determine what was it that they were seeing.

-Wait... Astrid, can you flip it over?

-Yes.

When Astrid flipped the image, they were all able to recognize the image. A bridge.

-That's a bridge.

-I know that bridge.- said Astrid. -I used to live in Denton, that's... that's Sargent Bridge. That's in Stoughton.

-What's in Stoughton?- asked Peter.

-Warehouse district.- said Kyle, intervening in the discussion.

-This would be one of the last images she saw?- asked Olivia, turning over to face Walter.

-In theory, yes.

-Where would she have to have been to see that angle of the bridge?- asked Lily.

-Pull up NRO online. Image maping database.

Astrid did as she was requested.

-OK, match the angles.

Kyle positioned herself behind Lily to get a better view of the screen.

-Wait, stop. That's it. Pull out to aereal view and triangulate.

-It looks like she's in this warehouse district. The 1600 block of Bond Street.

-I want satelite images of that area for the last twenty-four hours.

-Street Sweeper on the access road at 8:05 p.m.

-I've got nothing between 6:00 and 7:45 p.m.

-What are we looking for, exactly?- asked Walter fom behind them.

-She died in one of these buildings.- answered Lily.

-I've got a grey Sedan parked outside unit 17 at 8:05 a.m.

-I've got the same vehicle eight hours later.

-That's the estimated time of death of our last victim.

-If you get anything more specific, call me.- requested Olivia as she exited the lab running.

Lily, Peter and Kyle followed her. Before going out, Lily heard her father's voice.

-It worked Peter! You see? It worked!

* * *

-So Lessing... Borrow... Belmont.

-Hold on. Did you say Borrow? Did we pass Borrow already?

Lily remained silent, sitting in the back of the van with Kyle.

-There.- she heard Olivia say as they stopped.

Olivia parked the van outside one of the warehouses. They all descended of the van.

-Stay there.- told Olivia to Peter.

-That's just...

-...Not gonna happen.- Lily interrupted him, earning herself an annoyed look from her brother.

Lily and Kyle followed Olivia in silence, Peter closing the march, all of them with flashlights. A small beeping noise could be heard as they moved through the building. They located the room where it came from and aproached it in silence. Lily and Kyle took out their guns, as Peter grabbed a metal tube that was in a table near them. They brusquely entered the room. The man standing in there was Dr. Penrose.

-FBI!- shouted Olivia. -Put your hands up! I said put your hands up.

Peter had gone to check on the girl that was lying on a stretcher.

-She's alive.

-Is there anyone else here?- asked Kyle.

A sudden noise came from behind them, making Lily, Olivia and Kyle look instinctively that way.

-You have your phone?- asked Olivia to Peter.

-Yeah.

-Dial 1-7-2-2-4. Ask for Charlie Francis. Tell him we need field assist. Tell him to ping the GPS for the location. Safety's on the right, do not let him move.

She then left the room, making a gesture to Lily and Kyle with her head to follow her. They both did as they were asked and followed Olivia out of the room with their guns up. They suddenly saw a man, trying to get away by one of the sides of the warehouse.

-Freeze!- shouted Olivia, but the man kept running.

All three of them ran after him, reaching a fire escape, from where they jumped to the top of a car, then to the street. They lost his sight for a few moments, making Lily and Olivia run a little bit faster. When they could see him again, Lily noticed that he seemed to have problems to keep running.

-I think his accelerated aging is catching up to him!- she shouted to Olivia and Kyle.

As she screamed, they lost sight of him again. They continued in the direction where he had been running. Suddenly, as they were searching for him, they heard a distinct cough. The three women followed the noise carefully. It repeated. They could now see the shadow of a man lying in the ground.

-He... he should have let me die... a long time ago.

His voice sounded like an old man.

-I was... I was an experiment. Someone... someone paid him. The man I call my father. He should have let me die. That was his mistake. But he was blinded, because he loved me.

The flashing light showed his face by moments. He was indeed an old man now.

-He loved me. He...

His voice faded. The light showed his face one more time. He was dead.

* * *

Kyle threw her keys to the wooden bowl she had on top of the small cabinet situated next to the door. The reverberation of the sound in the walls of the empty apartment made her shudder, as she walked to the kitchen to make herself a simple dinner. She didn't have the spirits to make anything else. She was sitting on the couch and trying to pick something good on the TV, when the doorbell rang. With a sigh, Kyle stood up, her sanwich in her hand, and walked to the door. She was surprised to see Lily standing outside, her fabric jaket now replaced by her usual leather jacket.

-Hey.

-Hey. What are you doing here?

Lily rubbed the back of her neck.

-Thought you might want some company after the day we just had.

Kyle couldn't help but smile.

-You know me too much. I really wouldn't say no to a bit of company.

-Do you feel like going out? I was thinking maybe we could go for a drink.

-Sure. Just let me get my jacket.

Kyle picked up the leather jacket she had hanging next to the door, then retrieved her keys and walked out of the apartment.

-Does John know you're here?- asked Kyle.

-He doesn't have to know everything I do, he's my boyfriend not my father.

Kyle raised her eyebrows and Lily smiled.

-But yeah. I told him I was coming here and warned him not to wait up for me.

Kyle smiled too as she closed the door. She knew Lily too well; just as Lily knew her. As they walked away down the aisle, she felt a warm feeling of hapiness fill her. She had everything she needed; a good friend and the perspective of good night of fun. Just like in the old times.

* * *

**OK, this is turning into a serious bad habit. I'm really sorry for the delay, but I had to pass two weeks without my computer and that really got me behind on the writting. I can't promise anything for the next one because I have a lot of work ahead, but I'll do my best to post faster.  
**


End file.
